The Dove of Sanctuary
by Zpan Sven
Summary: An AU retelling of Saint Seiya. Written primarily from the view point of Angie, the Bronze Saint of Columba - who was born and raised in Sanctuary - telling the world from her eyes and showing how much difference a 'minor' character can make. R/R plz.
1. Chapter 1: The Dove Takes Flight

**THE DOVE OF SANCTUARY**

**AUTHOR:** Zpan Sven

**E-MAIL:** Zpan(underscore)Sven(at)hotmail(dot)com or zpan(dot)sven(at)gmail(dot)com

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Saint Seiya, only the characters of my creation, this story, and the alterations I have made to the characters, histories, ect. No profit is being made from this; this is being written solely for the enjoyment of myself and others whom like to indulge in the scenario of 'what if?'.

**AUTHOR' NOTES:** One of my infamous 'What If?' fanfics, where I take some of my ideas, an original character or two, the plot of an anime and throw them in the blender set on puree just to see what happens.

_  
_"Some believe it is the ability to speak that separates us from the animals…"

'_I think, there for I am…'_

_:Our minds are as one…: _

**SUMMARY:** An AU retelling of Saint Seiya, mostly from the view point of the Bronze Saint of Columba, Angie, telling the world from her eyes and showing how much difference a 'minor' character can make…

**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** Within the ranks of the Saints is their Messenger, a servant Saint who believes whole-heartedly in the ideals of Athena and follows the Pope blindly...

**RATING:** R

**WARNINGS:** Violence, swearing, and sexual innuendo and situations…and my depraved sense of humor XD

**GENRE:** Action & Adventure/Drama/Supernatural/Humor

**ARCHIVE:** FanFiction(dot)Net, FicWad(dot)Com, Zpan Sven's Works, others please ask

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**CHAPTER ONE: THE DOVE TAKES FLIGHT**

_Location: Sanctuary, Greece_

She had always been there as part of the background in her almost fifteen years of life -- as a Bronze-ranked Saint, and a female one at that, she was rather low on the totem pole at Sanctuary, but she was useful; even as a small child she had an uncanny ability to home in on a person's Cosmo, which made her very good at tracking someone down. It had been such an unusual ability for someone her age and skill-level, she'd been given the nick-name of the _human homing pigeon_ by the other trainees in her age group, a nick-name that eventually spread. If her trainer had needed someone found, she was sent off to find them.

After gaining the admittedly not as desirable Columba Cloth at eleven years old -- after all, there were considerably less female trainees compared to the amount of males and it was a rather feminine Cloth that represented Peace along with being considered one of the less powerful, which wasn't as appealing to the male trainees -- she honed her skills over the years to be able to track any Saint she'd yet to meet by homing in on their Cloths. The ability to home in on the Cloths themselves, no matter where or what condition they were in, whether or not they were even worn by a Saint, was something she believed she had gained with Columba, as the Cloth had always been worn by the Messenger of Sanctuary.

It was with that skill that she could tell the location of any and every Saint and Cloth to the Holy Father as well as track them down to deliver the messages he passed to her. She was utterly trustworthy in the Pope's opinion, having never once thought to look at the message scrolls she carried.

Why should she? The Holy Father spoke on the Goddess's behalf and was a kind man who didn't seem to mind she was just a Bronze-ranked Saint or even female, given how kindly he spoke to her. In her eyes, he was almost a father-figure from how he'd pet her hair and at times let her sit at his feet to rest, just as Lord Taurus acted like a brother or uncle when she delivered messages to or from him; she wasn't too sure how to classify Lord Pisces though, probably an uncle or cousin who favored her for the many clippings of exotic roses she brought him from around the world.

The Dove traveled constantly, delivering messages from the Holy Father and Saints of Sanctuary and on her travels would pick up things for those she knew -- various things, from knick-knacks to plant clippings or exotic foods; more then once she'd run to India to pick up the teas favored by Virgo Shaka or fetch a wine from one of the vineyards in France that Aquarius Camus happened to have a liking for. Not that she minded, it was her duty and she liked the traveling, along with the fact she would always come home to Sanctuary to roost. It was just how she was.

Today had been a hectic day; there had been a tournament held over the Pegasus Cloth and it had looked as though Cassios would win. But then... but then... Her eyes scrunched tightly against the burn of tears at the memory of his disfigurement and defeat at the hands of the younger trainee. Many thought he was just some big bully, but to her, Cassios was like a brother. It was why she was here sitting on the stoop outside the Healer's, waiting on word with many of the other trainees and subordinates of their trainer. Damn that Seiya! He was such a jerk.

"Angie," the familiar voice and hand on her shoulder caused the messenger to open her eyes and peer through the eye-holes of her mask at the likewise masked green-haired Ophiuchus Silver Saint leaning over her. The strongest female Saint, the Silver Amazon herself, was peering down at the young woman. While she'd not been the younger teen's official trainer, the Silver Amazon had made it a priority to take many of the younger girls under her wing and protect them as well as train them when she had the chance. Angie had been one of those girls and had ended up more a younger sister than just another trainee, worming her way past the front Shaina erected to the world.

"Shaina!" The messenger straightened from where she was leaning back against the wall, sitting upright. "Cassios... How is he?"

The higher ranked Saint stepped back as the messenger bounced to her feet. Columba Angie was a short girl, not even an inch over five feet tall even in her sandals. In the eyes of those around her, the young Saint's lack of height combined with her slim form and long hair often help back in braids enhanced the girl's child-like nature. To them she was a child and was treated as such. Not that Shaina minded -- it just meant the girl was still mostly innocent even after the harsh training she had undergone; still, the Ophiuchus Saint worried over her younger 'sister', because there were always men, even in Sanctuary, who preyed on the innocent and kind type like her. This explained why she never complained about the many errands the younger girl ran on behalf of Sanctuary to the vast corners of the world.

"He'll be fine," Shaina said softly and nodded to the small basket on the steps beside where the girl had sat. Given her almost servant status to the higher ranked Saints, Angie had taken the time to learn how to cook from the older female servants at various temples between errands. "You made him a treat, I see."

"Some sweet bread," Angie explained while picking up the small basket and passing it over to the Silver Saint. Unlike most Bronze or Silver Saints who weren't really trained or even interested in culinary arts, Angie liked to cook. When she had to wait a particularly long time for a response to a message she had delivered, she had taken the opportunity to ask the servants from the various temples to teach her their trade, and so she was able to prepare various foodstuffs and meals. Sometimes even the high-ranked Saints themselves taught her interesting things when they had time, like Lord Pisces instructing her in the art of gardening or Lord Capricorn teaching her the values of being a Saint; it was on his knee she had listened to the tale of the traitor when she was a child and learned that duty to the Goddess came before everything else. "I wanted to drop it off for him -- the Holy Father has summoned me."

"He's asleep, but I think he'll know it's from you," Shaina said wryly. "After all, you're the only one we know that would make him such a thing."

"Tell him I'm praying for him, please," Angie pleaded and Shaina lifted a hand, placing it on the crown of the younger girl's head, her fingers ruffling the wheat-blonde locks that fell free from her braid to frame the silver mask she wore.

"I will. Go, now. The Holy Father is getting impatient in his old age," the Ophiuchus Saint chuckled. "Goddess be with you, Angie."

"And may the Goddess be with you -- and may She watch over Cassios as well," Angie replied and darted off at supersonic speed to answer the Pope's summons; for a mere Bronze-ranked Saint, the girl was capable of moving at the speed of a Silver Saint, which made up for her lack of physical strength.

"She will. Because we won't let that bastard Seiya leave Greece alive for what he's done," Shaina vowed as she watched the girl vanishing up the mountain, before turning back to her assembled subordinates. Even if she'd once called him little brother, he'd pay for hurting Cassios and humiliating him, just like for taking the Pegasus Cloth away from its homeland. How dare he not stay here like a true Saint of Athena?!

-

-

-

The dying sunlight gleamed off the messenger's long braid, turning the color to gold. Behind her metal mask, Angie's eyes were closed as the Pope gently stroked her head, almost absently in a tender, paternal manner as she sat curled against his throne, leaning against his legs.

The news of this tournament was disturbing to the young Bronze Saint. It was bad enough that the Sagittarius Saint had been a traitor, but for his Gold Cloth to fall into the hands of those foreigners to be used as a prize in a tournament between Japanese Bronze Saints... She frowned, her fingers digging into the hem of the Holy Father's robe. How could Lord Leo properly remove this stain on his family's honor if he could not train a loyal successor for Sagittarius?

"The tournament is open to Bronze Saints in general. I _am_ a Bronze Saint and they never specified the nationality or even the gender of the participants. Send me, Holy Father, please! Let me fight on Sanctuary's behalf to get it back," she pleaded, her head tilting to look at the Pope's own masked visage. His fingertips were gentle as he stroked back from her hairline to the crown of her head.

"My little Dove," he murmured softly. "You are one of the most trustworthy of the Saints, without guile and full of innocence and righteousness with your need to uphold Her Justice, just what Athena believes to be important in her Saints. Go, child, go to the tournament in Japan. Enter it and reclaim the Sagittarius Cloth on Sanctuary's behalf. Bring it home, so that Athena herself may bless it to remove the stain of dishonor its previous bearer placed on it."

The Messenger smiled behind her mask at the approval and confidence in her skills the Holy Father was displaying. His hand shifted, lifting from her head and she rose to bow, a fist over her heart. "I shall leave tonight. I can feel them, the gathering Bronze Saints in Japan around the dormant Sagittarius Cloth..."

"Show them the strength of Sanctuary, little Dove, and know you go with not just mine, but also Athena's Blessing."

-

-

-

It was past dark when Angie returned to the hut she lived in to pack for her trip to Japan. On the way she passed Shaina's hut to inform the older girl of her mission, and to her shock, the Ophiuchus Saint was there, sitting on the floor and staring at the box containing her Silver Cloth. The sight of the torn clothing, the blood, the broken training armor and mask combined with the distraught nature of Shaina's Cosmo had the young Bronze worried. Kneeling beside her, Angie cautiously reached out, touching her shoulder.

"Shaina?"

"That bastard Seiya!" she hissed, trembling in a mixture of rage and shame. "My mask! He broke it!"

Angie paled behind her own mask and slipped beside the Silver Saint, reassuringly looping her arms around her. For most of the female Saints, especially those who were raised and trained in Sanctuary, to be seen without their mask was a humiliation worse then being caught completely naked. It was why Angie herself wore a cloth half-mask beneath her metal one. "So he saw?"

"Yes," Shaina whispered hoarsely, rubbing at her wounded shoulder. There was vivid bruising and a laceration that looked like it could have come from a razor-sharp blade from the cleanness of it.

The Bronze Saint frowned when she recalled something. Several years ago, the boy had seen Shaina's face, too, and he had called her 'sister', after Angie made the naïve comment that Shaina could be his sister here in Sanctuary until he went back to Japan to find his actual sister. "But... Didn't he remember you from before?"

"No. And now... Now I'll have to kill him. I have to kill him, because I can't bring myself to love that boy like a husband as it would be demanded by our tradition."

"Not if _I_ kill him first," Angie said softly and Shaina looked at her in surprise. This comment was so unlike the diplomatic Columba Saint; the girl tended to stop fights, not start them or go looking for them. "I'm going to Japan, by the Holy Father's orders. It's where _he_ is going, to compete in a tournament of Bronze-ranked Saints. If I face him in that tournament, I'll kill him for you, to spare you having to kill him yourself."

"Angie, I could never ask you to do that," Shaina murmured. How Angie had grown from that little girl... The loss of that innocence saddened the older Saint, no longer was she the cheerful child that had bounced gleefully up and down the mountain with messages between the various Saints and trainees.

"I have no real family aside from you and Cassios. And he has hurt you both so badly... I will not let him get away with it," the Bronze Saint vowed and bowed her head when Shaina lifted her hand, placing her palm on the crown of the younger girl's head.

"Promise me you will be careful," Shaina commanded.

"Of course, my sister," Angie promised her as she rose back to her feet. "For now, though, I have to pack."

-

-

-

_Location: Tokyo, Japan_

She made good time, arriving shortly after the Pegasus Saint's boat had docked. Of course that was entirely because she wore her Cloth and flew at high speed to Japan, with her pack in the Cloth-box she carried. Landing in a deserted area of a construction site, Angie looked around, extending her Cosmo to locate those pretend-Saints. Immediately her Columba Cloth made the familiar hum in the back of her mind of finding its brother Cloths and behind her silver mask she smiled as she detected the moving Pegasus Saint. Obviously he was heading towards the other gathered Bronze Saints. Concentrating, she found that only Cygnus and Phoenix were absent from the gathering. Turning, she sprang up onto the foundations of the building being constructed and began to dart after Seiya's Cosmo.

The terrain she navigated changed the longer she trailed Seiya from the city into a more rural area, the quality of the architecture and the carefully managed landscaping hinting at the fact she was entering a rather upscale area. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she trailed the Pegasus Saint, staying a good distance back. By tracking his Cloth and Cosmo, she didn't need to keep him in sight. The location she tracked him to was a huge mansion, gated with a long curving driveway cutting through the manicured lawn. Jumping the fence was easy and she was trotting up the steps as the front door opened, an angry Pegasus Saint storming out. Angie blinked behind her mask, unused to the sight of him in his 'modern' garb of a red sleeveless tee-shirt and blue jeans, more used to the tan and brown training outfit he had worn back in Sanctuary. He came to a skidding halt, backing up a step so he wouldn't accidentally run into her.

"Who are you?" Seiya asked, looking down at the petite female Saint unintentionally blocking his exit. There was something almost familiar about her, mostly her hair, a shade of wheat-blonde that was somewhere between actual blond and Jabu's light brown. What she wore was definitely a Cloth though, gleaming silver and gold over her light dove-grey tunic and pants; the plain metal mask on her face merely confirmed her status as a Saint. The muted colors of the tunic-pants set, the color of her hair, the unadorned mask... Now he remembered. He had seen her before, at Sanctuary. But who was she? He didn't interact with many of the other Saints, especially not female ones.

"I'm Columba Angie, Messenger of Sanctuary. Move aside, Pegasus Seiya, I have business within," she ordered, her tone as official sounding as she could make it. Oh, how she was glad for her linguist abilities, being able to speak not just her native Greek, but also the languages brought to Sanctuary by the foreign Saints like English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and even, thank the Goddess, Japanese, because she doubted that -- unlike Seiya, who was trained in Greece and thus taught Greek -- those inside spoke the Goddess's tongue.

"With those people? Good luck," Seiya grumbled, frowning and shooting a dirty look over his shoulder and the Pegasus Cloth-box at those within the foyer of the mansion.

Behind her mask, Angie arched a brow at his reaction, making note of it. Interesting... But could it be useful to her in dealing with this Graude Foundation? "Duly noted. Now step aside."

Seiya complied, actually stepping back inside the doorway into the foyer and moving to the side, watching her with curious brown eyes as he mused over her familiar appearance and her title. Messenger of Sanctuary? Immediately things clicked and his eyes seemed to light up in recognition. The Cloth she wore had thrown him, but he had definitely seen her before, talking with Marin-san and passing her message scrolls or taking a message scroll from his trainer. He had never spoken to her before nor seen her aside from those times, given how little time he spent in Sanctuary itself, practically living at the training grounds when he wasn't passing out at Marin-san's hut.

"Changed your mind -- huh, who are you?" The brash demand abruptly changed to a look of confusion on the face of the male Saint with the tinge of the Unicorn Cloth in his Cosmo; his blue eyes darted between the two, a brow arching.

"I'm Columba Angie, Messenger of Sanctuary," she introduced herself briskly as she entered the foyer. Inside were a girl around her height with almost knee-length lavender hair, a few shades darker than Lord Aries's own and a tall stocky bald man in a uniform-like tuxedo with a Cosmo that spoke of no form of training as a Saint and whom she assumed to be the butler for the estate. "I wish to speak with the one in charge of this 'Galaxian Wars Tournament'."

"I would be the one in charge of the tournament, Columba-san." The girl said, stepping forward with a rustle of her long pink and white skirts. "My name is Kido Saori, and the tournament was my grandfather's dying wish. I intend to carry it out in his stead."

With this admission, Angie studied her more closely; the pink and white outfit the younger girl wore reminded the Saint of a cake, the pink over white with ribbons and frills. It was probably meant to look feminine and lady-like, but to one such as Angie, it was completely frivolous and impractical. How the girl could move around, fight and run in such an outfit was beyond the messenger. Blinking once, she straightened, masked chin lifting as she proclaimed her intent. "On behalf of Sanctuary -- the home of the Saints of Athena -- I, as the Bronze Saint of Columba, demand the opportunity to compete in these so-called 'Galaxian Wars'."

"You're a bit late -- besides, it's open only to those whose Cloths belong to Saori-oujo-sama's Graude Foundation," the Unicorn Saint explained, crossing his arms over his chest. His shoulders moved in a shrug. "Sorry. Besides, we don't fight girls."

There was an almost audible snap of the Dove's temper as her attention was directed to the boy; while some women may have found him handsome and his physique beneath the sleeved blue tee-shirt and snug blue jeans something to swoon over, the female Saint was used to being around some of the most attractive and powerfully built of men. Jabu stepped back at the piercing glare and faint killing intent being sent his way through the eyeholes of the messenger's unadorned mask. 'Damn, that was creepy,' he thought uncomfortably.

"You dare call yourselves Saints?! You know nothing! Absolutely nothing! Those Cloths don't belong to the Graude Foundation of that Kido girl! They belong to Athena! You dare strut around calling yourselves the 'Saints of Athena' after you don't even have the common decency to present yourselves in Sanctuary before the Holy Father and Lady Athena, instead coming here to fight in a selfish tournament for a Cloth you'll never be able to wear!" The female Saint roared at the Unicorn Saint, her icy Cosmo flaring with her anger; the room's temperature began to drop, frost starting to form on the walls, the windows, every piece of furniture and various household plants.

"You'll treat Saori-oujo-sama with respect!" Jabu shot back and sucked in a breath while twisting to the side as he saw her hand lash out in a punch; a vase of frost-covered roses behind him shattered from the air-pressure alone, while a thin cut opened up across his cheekbone, blood trickling down his cheek.

The sheer speed of that single blow made Seiya's eyes widen because the only persons he'd ever seen move that fast were Marin-san and later on Shaina-san when he battled the Ophiuchus Saint as he fled from Sanctuary with the Pegasus Cloth.

"I have no respect for thieves, Unicorn Jabu," Angie's voice dropped to a cold, angry hiss. "And that's what you are, stealing away the Cloths that rightly belong to Lady Athena's Saints. And you don't even do it quietly, to hide away your crime, but you come here to break one of the greatest Laws of the Saints, never to fight for personal gain! We are the Saints of Hope and Justice! We are to uphold Lady Athena's ideals! This... This _tournament_, it sickens me. I'll play by your rules and win the Cloth back, but not for me to wear, because no mere Bronze Saint can ever dream of wearing a Cloth that rightfully belongs to one of the Gold Saints' rank!"

"Gold _Saints_?" Saori whispered, frowning in confusion. "You speak like there is more than one Gold Cloth."

"Ignorant girl," the female Saint scoffed behind her silver mask as she turned to regard the girl; really, all that money and interest in the Cloths and Saints and she didn't know such a simple thing? "Of course there are more! Did you think all but one of the eighty-eight Saints of Athena were mere Bronze Saints?!"

Given the looks on the face of the girl, the butler, and the boys, they must have. The butler regained his senses first. "You filthy gaijin, how dare you address oujo-sama in such a way!"

"Shut up, old man," Angie growled, directing her killing intent to him; the temperature was steadily dropping and he staggered back a couple steps, a wet stain appearing on his pants as his bladder involuntarily emptied itself in terror. Scoffing again, Angie regarded the girl loftily. "All in all, there are fifty-two Bronze-ranked Saints, followed by twenty-four Silver Saints and topping them off are the most powerful of them all, the elite Guard of Lady Athena herself, the twelve Gold Saints, each representing part of the Zodiac, from Aries to Pisces. And above them all, advising and representing Lady Athena herself before the people is the Holy Father, the Pope who leads the Saints in times of War. And it is on their behalf that I am here. I will be staying at that recreation of the Coliseum you've built and I will defeat each and every one of you so-called 'Saints'. Because really, why send a Silver or Gold Saint to do it? It would be like asking one of the Gods themselves to come down from Olympus to step on a mere annoying insect."

She turned on her heel, stalking towards the front door. "I will win that Cloth rather then just take it. Because that way I will prove to you what a real Saint is! And if I have to, I will kill each of my opponents for the disgrace they bring to the name of Saints by fighting for their selfish desires and not on behalf of Athena and the Sanctuary."

The room remained cold, even as the female Saint exited the house, walking down the long curving driveway. Her posture was straight, regal as she grew smaller and smaller, the Cloth box on her back seemingly weightless to the petite Saint.

Shaken, Saori turned to Tatsumi. "Reshuffle the remaining matches, Tatsumi."

Trembling still, the butler shook himself, his mind working. "I'll set her up to fight tomorrow against Bear Geki. He'll snap her neck and then we won't have to worry about her. Seiya can go up against Dragon Shiryu instead."

"Do what you must. It seems we have drawn the attention of Sanctuary along with its wrath," Saori whispered, rubbing at the lingering chill clinging to her arms.


	2. Chapter 2: The Dove VS The Bear

**THE DOVE OF SANCTUARY**

**AUTHOR:** Zpan Sven

**E-MAIL:** Zpan(underscore)Sven(at)hotmail(dot)com or zpan(dot)sven(at)gmail(dot)com

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Saint Seiya, only the characters of my creation, this story, and the alterations I have made to the characters, histories, ect. No profit is being made from this; this is being written solely for the enjoyment of myself and others whom like to indulge in the scenario of 'what if?'.

**AUTHOR' NOTES:** One of my infamous 'What If?' fanfics, where I take some of my ideas, an original character or two, the plot of an anime and throw them in the blender set on puree just to see what happens.

"Some believe it is the ability to speak that separates us from the animals…"

'_I think, there for I am…'_

_**:Our minds are as one…: **_

**SUMMARY:** An AU retelling of Saint Seiya, mostly from the view point of the Bronze Saint of Columba, Angie, telling the world from her eyes and showing how much difference a 'minor' character can make…

**CHAPTER SUMMARY:** The second battle of the Galaxian Wars tournament takes place – Sanctuary's Dove against Kido Saori's Bear.

**RATING:** PG-13/T

**WARNINGS:** Violence, swearing, and sexual innuendo and situations…and my depraved sense of humor XD

**GENRE:** Action & Adventure/Drama/Supernatural/Humor

**ARCHIVE:** FanFiction(dot)Net, FicWad(dot)Com, Zpan Sven's Works, others please ask

**CHAPTER TWO: THE DOVE vs THE BEAR**

_Location: Capricorn Temple, Sanctuary, Greece_

He didn't like that she had gone there alone, to that place half a world away where the Sagittarius Cloth had ended up. Standing with his arms crossed over his chest on the steps of the tenth temple, Capricorn Shura frowned up at the night sky, his dark eyes settled on the Columba Constellation. For once, he found himself unable to be consoled by the normally welcome and comforting breeze of the Greek evening as it ruffled his short dark green hair and whispered over skin tanned by relentless training under the merciless Grecian sun. Perhaps it was the fact that she had gone to face these Japanese Bronze Saints who were so deliberately breaking and flaunting the laws of Athena; the very thought of those pretenders smearing of the name of Saint made a righteous indignation curl in the pit of his belly alongside the knot of concern.

The girl had grown on them, each of them, in her own special way. They had gotten so used to her running around Sanctuary as she grew from toddler into young adulthood and later on around the world after earning her Cloth. The first time she'd left Sanctuary on an errand run for the Pope, he'd practically stood on his head in worry, along with the rest of the Gold Saints. Of course she'd returned, triumphant of her first mission and bringing them presents.

"Shura." The voice of the Aquarius Saint brought him out of his thoughts.

Lowering his gaze, he looked at the long-haired Saint beside him; like him, the other Saint was dressed in relatively casual clothing of a dress shirt and slacks, though the Frenchman appeared more formal due to his neatly done tie along with a vest. "What is it, Camus?"

"It's almost time for the matches to start. Milo's managed to book a private room in Athens so we can watch it there," the French Saint informed him, the faint breeze stirring the ends of his long icy teal hair and the sleeves of his shirt.

Shura studied him and saw the faint lines of worry on his face that those who had not interacted with him as often as his fellow Gold Saints would never see. Of course. The boy trained by the Crystal Saint was also entering the Tournament secretly on Sanctuary's behalf, wasn't he? Two of his students would be concealed among the fighters and there was always the possibility they would come face to face on opposing sides of the ring. They might have to fight each other, possibly to the death.

"They'll be fine." It was a hollow reassurance, but it was all Shura could offer. From the ever-so-faint curling of the stoic Aquarius Saint's lips and subtle softening of those icy blue eyes, it was appreciated.

_Location: The Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan_

"You want me to do _what_?" Even with her voice level, the change in tone and pitch on the last word and sudden drop of temperature in the hallway was evidence plenty that the Bronze Saint of Columba was more then a little peeved. Despite the blankness of that silver mask, the incredulous stare being directed at the producer was unnerving.

"Make a flashy entrance," he repeated, fidgeting anxiously, not certain of why the petite foreign girl made him so nervous. "To impress the audience. It also would make an impression on your opponent – Bear Geki – who is a very big and strong boy for his age."

"I'll think about it," the Messenger retorted turning and stalking down the hallway to wait for when she was called to the arena.

Make a flashy entrance. Impress the audience. The reminders of this _display_ caused anger to well up behind her breastbone and the temperature of the hallway fell by another good ten degrees, frost starting to form on the walls. A flashy entrance? Alright then... The female Saint's lips curved wickedly behind her mask. Perhaps she'd have some fun with these moronic pretend-Saints!

_Location: The Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan_

It was an impressive building, the way it was designed for the roof of the Coliseum facsimile to seal up like that, then for the technicians to make that star-field appear; it was a faithful map of the sky as seen over the true Coliseum, even though many within the stands didn't know it. The boxing-styled ring in the very center of the arena was awash in the bright, harsh floodlights, glinting off the grey-black armor of the towering teen standing in the center. The stark lighting almost washed out his darkly tanned skin and rich, dark purple hair, as well as casting harsh shadows over the sharp features of his face.

Of the one-hundred that had started out, he had always been and remained the tallest and physically strongest. So it was no surprise that Geki had come back with the Bear Cloth to compete in the tournament. Many would naturally be leery of tangling with him, so he wasn't too surprised that his opponent, this Columba Angie of Sanctuary hadn't shown. Though he had wanted to test his mettle against a Saint not part of the group Kido had gathered, a true test of his skills. As the announcer began the final countdown that would eliminate the foreign Saint, something remarkable and yet so odd began to happen within the contained environment of the dome.

It had begun to snow.

Fat, fluffy flakes of snow fell from the false starry sky projected by the technicians; some melted instantly around the spotlights, and the temperature, which had been cool despite the hot lights got noticeably colder until Geki could see his breath puffing out, snow beginning to stick, then pile on the floor of the ring.

The announcer had stopped the countdown in surprise of the unexplained event before suddenly one of the technicians swung one of the spot lights and the bright light caught off a silver and gold figure standing high into the rafters. As though taking that cue, the figure abruptly made a suicidal leap into the air, causing many to scream in shock. Geki for a moment felt that same surprise for a split-second until he realized how graceful that apparently reckless plunge really was, the falling form lithely twisting to fall feet first and land lightly on one of the turnbuckles of the ring facing him.

As she straightened, he stared at his new-found opponent. He had know he's be fighting a foreign female Saint from her name, but he had not anticipated to be fighting someone so...petite, so fragile looking; the top of her head probably would reach somewhere just beneath his sternum! Bad enough he had to fight a female Saint – what was the deal with that eerie silver mask, anyway? - but one so weak looking! If he lost he would be known as being beaten by a girl half his size, but if he won, he'd be seen as some woman-beating bully. It was a damned if he did and damned if he didn't situation, and Geki cursed the one who put him in it.

With a critical eye he studied her in search for obvious weaknesses, the snow – her doing, he supposed though he wasn't too sure _how_ just yet – still falling lightly about them. The armor she wore was light, just like all the Bronze Clothes were, protecting more over the torso then some of the other Clothes did, offering near total protection to the heart and a good portion of the lungs. Not as much as his, of course, but it was a good bit. The shoulder guards were much like Andromeda Shun's, resting just off the shoulder and protecting not just the shoulders but a good deal of her upper arms as well; combined with the gantlets and forearm guards, her arms were well protected. Her lower torso and legs on the other hand, held far less protection aside from the bikini-bottom styled hip and groin armor and the knee guards, with absolutely no armor on the girl's actual feet, just sandals.

As he sized her up, she did the same. Angie studied him, his Cloth, and his Cosmos; even for a Bronze Saint it as rather low and seemed barely trained. Then again, of the gathering Cosmos at this tournament, many of them seemed so very chaotic, making for a wide range along the spectrum – the Andromeda and Dragon Saints seemed to have the best control over their Cosmos, while Bear and Lionet were on the other end, the rest falling somewhere in the middle. If she had to rank their skill, from greatest to least, it'd easily be Andromeda, Dragon, Swan – he was lurking about but she could sense him – Pegasus, Unicorn, Wolf, Hydra, Lionet, and then Bear.

According to the Scoreboard, there was another Bronze Saint who had yet to appear, the Phoenix. To her discomfort what she could sense of his mostly hidden Cosmos was so foul and hateful that she didn't _want_ to sense it, as though some part of her feared if she could sense him, knew where he was, that _he_ could easily do the same and he was a predator, while she...was not. And it didn't help what she could feel didn't feel on the level of any Bronze Saint she'd ever encountered before, no it was much more like a low to mid-ranked silver Saint.

Her analytical and compartmentalized mind had analyzed and stored the knowledge and theories in order of importance before her eyes sharpened behind her mask as the Bear Saint shifted, taking a step towards her.

His breath was visible as he suddenly spoke. "Forfeit, please. I don't want to fight you. I assure you, I won't kill you if you do decide to fight, not intentionally anyway; there's only so much I can pull my punches."

"How strange," her Japanese came out in that clipped accent of a foreigner. "I was about to say something remarkably similar to you, Bear Geki. Forfeit, leave this place, and throw yourself to the Mercy of the Pope and the Goddess before you willfully commit one of the gravest of crimes for a Saint."

"Crime? What crime?" the powerfully built teen seemed so bewildered, the expression so honest that it couldn't have been faked.

A spike of outrage speared through her. How could it be possible this pretender-Saint _not_ know given who he sought to impersonate with this charade? "A Saint is to use their abilities in defense of the Goddess and the Earth, never for their personal gain! We are pledged to our Goddess the moment we gain our Cloths to obey Her and Her Will, and this mockery is against Her Wishes!"

"But...this is a tournament to earn the right to wear the Gold Cloth of Sagittarius..." Even as he repeated what he had been told, what he had been taught, she could easily see the unease in his posture; between to her extensive training in analyzing spoken and unspoken language and his lack of training to conceal it, he was as easy to read as a Greek primer.

"Was your teacher even a Saint?" Angie demanded harshly of the male Saint, her glare unhampered by her mask and the temperature seemed to plummet even further. "This is _not_ the way a Gold Saint is selected. They are trained for that role from childhood, just as we Bronze Saints are! Very rarely will a Bronze or Silver Saint ascend to the rank of Gold and even then the Gold Cloth they can wear is reflected in their Astrological Sign; a person who is not a Sagittarius cannot wear the Sagittarius Cloth."

Geki bristled at the slight against his teacher, who had raised him and trained him like a father, his shoulders squaring; a small part of him agreed with her, while another wondered... "And for all I know this is a spiel of nonsense to get me to forfeit my chance at the Gold Cloth. I don't think so."

"Obviously you don't," she said scornfully, gracefully leaping from the turnbuckle onto the mat. Immediately she assumed a fighting stance he was unfamiliar with, her weight mostly on her far leg and hands outstretched before her in a way that vaguely resembled a bird's wingtips touching. "I'll just have to beat the knowledge into you and perhaps Athena will be merciful on you given the sheer ignorance your teacher left you with."

"Bear Geki! Columba Angie!" the announcer called their names sharply over the speakers. "Ready, set – FIGHT!"

Geki immediately tensed, even as she sprang forward – and blurred. A fraction of a second later, she had reappeared, her punch meeting square across his jaw; the force sent him reeling back a a half step while she twisted gracefully to land in her starting position. He righted and arched his brows at her.

"I barely felt that. You're pretty damn fast, but your hits don't have anything to back them up," he drawled.

"Your head's harder then I originally calculated it to be. It will not happen again," she snapped before blurring again.

A punch caught him in the throat this time and if it hadn't been for the fact he'd moved a half-step back, it would have crushed his windpipe. Choking, he gripped a big hand over his throat, coughing and wheezing for breath. She landed and blurred again before he had a chance to recover; this time a harsh kick struck him in the back, right in his left kidney. Again and again she blurred and struck him where he had no Cloth to protect him, each punch or kick seeming stronger and stronger. For the ones trained to sense it, they could tell the foreign girl's Cosmos was rising with each strike.

"She's using her Cosmos to enhance her strength," Andromeda Shun murmured softly; the feminine-looking boy had his longish green hair pulled back loosely out of his face, and he leaned against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his white dress pants. His green-eyed gaze remained intent on the fighting pair, wanting to see if the training of one who had been in Sanctuary itself from the very beginning was truly something better then anything they had received.

"And going directly after the weak-spots he's presenting to her," Dragon Shiryuu stated, watching the match closely; the Chinese-garbed teen crossed his arms over his chest thoughtfully. "She likes aiming for his throat; too bad for her he's already figured that out. See how he has his guard up?"

"Better to be pissing blood then have his throat crushed," Seiya snorted as the girl struck again at Geki's kidneys. "He just better hope she doesn't rupture 'em."

"She sure does kick a lot," Hydra Ichi noted, his head tilting in curiosity, allowing his long white hair to trail down his back.

"I hear girls kick harder then they punch. Could be why," offered the dark-haired Wolf Nachi as he leaned over, crossing his arms over the railing and looking down at the ring. The fabric of his tee-shirt pulled taunt with the motion, molding to the muscles of his shoulders and back.

"...they do. The center of gravity's lower, in their hips." Seiya offered reluctantly with a rare insight. "Ours is in our chests, which is why we hit harder with our punches."

He ignored as the others turned to look at him. Shun arched his brows at the other Saint. "That's true; one of my friends on Andromeda Isle who gained a Cloth is a girl. How did you know?"

"My teacher in Sanctuary was a woman," he admitted absently, watching as the Columba Saint's heel met Geki's chin. "But she always hit pretty damn hard, even with her fists..."

"If he catches her, he'll win," Jabu stated suddenly, still watching the match. "He'll be able to break her into pieces if he gets his hands on her."

Nachi made a thoughtful noise of agreement in his throat. "Geki's smarter then he looks – I think she's underestimated that. He'll have her patterns figured out any minute now."

In the ring, Geki suddenly gave a predatory grin as he twisted his body to avoid another of the foreign Saint's kicks, his big hand suddenly clamped around her ankle. "Gotcha, little birdie."

Angie didn't even have time to utter the virulent curse that crossed her mind as she was hauled by her ankle and over his shoulder to be slammed back first into the mat with a resounding crack and thud. To those in the stands, it sounded like he had broken the ring with her body; a mixture of gasps and cheers escaped them at the possibility of a one-hit knockout.

Of course that hope was dashed when he leaned in to see if he had inadvertently killed her given she didn't seem to be breathing and was as limp as a ramen noodle in his grasp, because the second he was in range, he received the heel of her sandal full strength to his nose. For Angie, the sound of his nose breaking, that wet crunch-cracking sound was quite satisfying, even as she rolled away, her ankle freed by his surprise-slackened hand. Rising to her feet, she concealed the fact that the strong grip and powerful swing might have just pulled vital tendons and muscles in her ankle.

"Oh please," she managed a convincing scoff as he straightened back up, a hand clutching his ruined nose. "Was that _supposed_ to hurt?"

Geki was a pretty mild-mannered nice guy, all things considered. But at that moment he was beyond mad. How _dare_ this tiny scrap of a girl come here, to his homeland, to try and take away his chance to earn and wear that Gold Cloth? His barely trained Cosmos flared and behind her mask, Angie's eyes narrowed at the rough outline of a bear enveloping the other Saint.

Oh great. She had to nip this in the bud and fast. Cosmos pooled into the palm of her hand – not the icy Cosmos Master Aquarius had trained her to utilize, she didn't want to kill him if she didn't have to just yet – and lashed her hand forward with her full speed while releasing and launching the flat disk of energy at him. Her voice echoed - "Sonic Boom!" - right before the sound barrier was shattered as the localized sonic boom and the energy it contained knocked her opponent off his feet and back into the chains of the ring.

She watched as he slumped limply, his arms tangled in the chains, holding his body mostly upright; there was bleeding from his ears and his broken nose had started to bleed more freely. Given the proximity she probably ruptured his eardrums but she had used only half the amount of Cosmos she normally would have so not to cause brain hemorrhaging in him or any of those in the stands located further behind him. The crowd had been stunned to silence by the abrupt turnaround and display of power.

Straightening, she turned and looked up to where the Cosmos of that Saori girl was in that large viewing box. Placing her hands on her hips, she regarded the box impatiently. _'Well? Declare it already, little girl,'_ she thought with an annoyance visible in her body language..

"Did she win?" Ban asked, the shock in his voice an echo of what his comrades were feeling.

"I...I don't know," the white-haired teen shook his head in confusion.

"Geki can take a lot of punishment but if she did what I think she did, then..." Shun's voice trailed off; it was something he didn't want to contemplate, knowing there was a distinct possibility that one of them would have to go up against a killer in the later rounds.

"She may have given him a brain aneurysm. She might have just killed him," Shiryuu stated grimly even as medics were making their way to the ring. Still, there was no call of victory for the foreign girl from Sanctuary. What was holding back the call? If Geki was dead, then she was the clear winner.

The rattle of the chains before the medics had reached ringside was faint, almost drowned out by the abrupt roaring of the crowd, calls for Geki to get up. Still, Angie had heard it and was turning; had it not been for that ankle, she'd have moved with her normal speed and avoided being snagged up by the neck, those calloused, powerful hands engulfing her throat. The grip was crushing; she saw black spots appear immediately in her vision and there was the roar of blood rushing in her ears, drowning out the excited chatter of the announcer as he speculated how much more pressure it'd take to snap her neck or just plain crush her throat.

Geki sensed, felt, more then saw, the female Saint's small hands flutter up, gripping at his gauntlet covered hands, futilely trying to curl her fingers around his broad palms to loosen his grip. And then he felt it, cold seeping through the metal alloy of his Cloth to his skin. Even in the middle of the harshest winter of the Rocky Mountains, he had never felt the cold pierce his Cloth...

_Location: Hotel, Athens, Greece_

"I'm going to rip his soul out and shred it to pieces!"

Shura winced at the enraged howl coming from beneath the dog-pile on a pissed off Italian, quite certain that if the man could get free at the moment, he would have teleported into the center of the ring in that distant land and do just that...and probably to any one else that managed to catch his ire as well. No one was allowed to harm the beloved pet of the Cancer Saint. It just wasn't permitted.

"Calm down. She'll be fine – we all made certain that she received excellent training and that Neanderthal will have a nasty case of frostbite shortly," Aphrodite said, shaking a rose in a scolding manner at the fuming man pinned to the floor; the teal curls that cascaded free from his up-swept hair swished back in forth as he shook his head in wry amusement as the other Gold Saints restraining the Italian inched back cautiously from the black rose he held. Despite what some might think of the fact the Italian considered that girl his 'pet' those that had come to know the psychotic man personally was fully aware the relationship was platonic, almost paternal in nature.

"Actually, right about _now_, to be more accurate," Camus stated, a tight smile on his lips.

Every head jerked about to see the dark Cloth of the Bear Saint suddenly turn white and then shatter. A gleeful whoop of triumph escaped the bottom of the dog-pile as the young female Saint escaped the male pretend-Saint – she was leaping back gracefully, the hot spotlights glinting off her the metal of her mask and Cloth, the braid of wheat-blond hair looking more like the gold that trimmed her Cloth.

But more importantly the lights glinted off the icy Cosmos that swirled her hand, off the tiny particles of ice and snow. She thrust her fist outwards, directing the ice and Cosmos of her attack - _"Frost Bite!"_ - that washed over the other teen, who had crossed his forearms in a futile effort to shield himself instinctively. Ice formed over his Cloth, over the chains behind him; the weaker metal became so brittle that the chains shattered under their own weight.

"Good girl, piccione," Deathmask all but purred as the others began to cautiously get up, letting him free; a feral, savage smile spreading was over his face as a twisted paternal pride seemed to shine in his eyes. She wasn't _quite_ as weak as she had been all those years ago when they first met her.

_Location: The Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan_

"N-not possible-!" Tatsumi gasped out in surprise as Bear Geki fell, defeated by the slip of a girl from Greece.

Saori felt that niggle of worry spread and curl in her belly; the Messenger from Sanctuary was stronger then any had anticipated. But that made sense – they wouldn't send someone weak to represent their interests and try to reclaim the Gold Cloth of Sagittarius.


End file.
